To The Bone
by obsessedwithstabler
Summary: “Damn it, Mike! Hold on!” she pleaded as she peeled away his jacket and shirt, her probing fingers searching for the source of the crimson blood that was painting the ground a dark maroon.


Mwhahaha, see? I told ya'll that I'd write a post ep for To The Bone! And here it is! Now, I know that some of the things in here didn't happen, but that's the beauty of fanfiction. And I think ya'll will like it! So read, and please remember to review, cause reviews rock my socks!

Disclaimer: They're not mine... Maybe it's better that way. (thinks) Nah, they should be mine! ALL MINE!! MWAHAHAHA! (laughs maniacally, lightning appears in middle of day)

This little post ep is for RoadRunner (cause she reads all of my stories, and she's so awesome) Fancifulgeek (cause I nearly killed her with this and the camping stories) and of course, the confused one, cause she just rocks all around. Thanks, chickies! Areeba!

Carolyn felt her heart lunge into her throat as two shots resonated in the chilly night air. Ahead of her, the man who had pulled a gun on Mike and herself was sprawled out on the hard concrete, blood already pooling underneath him. She shakily returned her gun to the holster at her hip, then walked over to the man. To her surprise, when she pressed her fingertips to his neck, she found a pulse.

"Mike, call a bus!" she shouted, and that's when she noticed the badge that hung from a chain around his neck. Gasping quietly, she called, "Mike, this guy's a cop!" She received no reply.

With a growl of frustration, Carolyn whipped her head around to look at her partner. "Mike?"

At his name, he slowly raised his head, and Carolyn gasped at the trickle of blood that appeared from his mouth. "Mike?" She shoved herself to her feet and ran over to him, her legs not moving nearly fast enough. She reached his side just as he collapsed, and she crashed to the cold and unforgiving gravel with Mike in her arms.

"Damn it, Mike! Hold on!" she pleaded as she peeled away his jacket and shirt, her probing fingers searching for the source of the crimson blood that was painting the ground a dark maroon. Finally she found the wound, and she pressed the heel of her right hand against it, supporting Mike's head with her left hand.

She could hear sirens in the distance, but above everything else, she could hear the blood gurgling in her partner's lungs as he struggled to breathe. Suddenly his chest stilled, and Carolyn fought to steady her heart as she carefully laid him on the ground, tilted his head back and pinched his nose, then began C.P.R.

"Come on! Breathe, Mike!" she shouted as she pumped her hands against his chest. Second after agonizing second crawled by as she repeated the motions. Finally his body gave a violent shudder as he took a small breath, and she fell back on her butt and breathed a sigh of relief.

Rain had begun to fall, and she leaned over him, shielding as much of his body from the rain as she could. Finally an ambulance screeched to a halt in the parking lot, and two paramedics appeared beside her. They immediately began checking Mike's vitals, and one of them gently pushed Carolyn's hand away from the gunshot wound.

A third paramedic went to the other downed officer, and Carolyn's heart sank when she heard him yell a minute later, "D.O.A.!" The other paramedics busily set about checking Mike's pulse and heart rate, then one of them secured a large piece of material to the wound.

Finally they carefully lifted Mike onto a stretcher, and Carolyn followed them as they quickly loaded him into the back of the ambulance. One of the paramedics looked at Carolyn, and she flashed her badge and sat down, saying, "This is my partner, and I'm not leaving him." No one else argued with the petite detective.

_He looks so small and helpless,_ Carolyn realized as the paramedics hooked I.V.'s into her partner. She had never seen him as anything but tough, rugged, and hard headed, but watching him lie unconscious on the stretcher made her realize that even her partner was fallible, and that scared her.

She knew she loved him, that was a fact that she had stopped denying some time ago. And now, all she wanted to do was to reassure herself that he was still alive, and to reassure him that he wasn't alone. So she reached out hesitantly and laid one hand on his forehead, the other carefully wrapping around his right hand that was dangling lifelessly off of the stretcher.

She thought she felt his hand squeeze hers, but he remained deathly still, and she bowed her head beside his and prayed, long and hard, for the first time in too long.

CICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICICI

She answered the questions dully, hating that she still hadn't heard any word on her partner. The men from I.A.B. continued to ask her the same questions, and she was on the verge of telling them where to go when she saw Alex. Immediately the petite blond strolled up to them, her partner not too far behind, and she glared at the rats.

"That's enough," Alex growled, gently grabbing Carolyn's elbow. The I.A.B. men watched as the smaller detective pulled Carolyn away from them.

Once they were far enough away, Alex stopped, then looked Carolyn over, as if to prove to herself that she had received no injuries. When she was satisfied, Carolyn could see her hard eyes soften, and Alex said, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Carolyn answered shakily. "It's Mike who's hurt."

Deakins and Bobby appeared beside Alex, and Deakins said, "We already know what happened, but we still need yours and Mike's guns."

She robotically reached into her holster and handed Deakins her gun, then said bitterly, "I'm sure the nurse can give you his." Deakins accepted the gun reluctantly, then walked away to see if he could get word of Mike's condition.

When Deakins disappeared, a tear fell down Carolyn's cheek, and Alex sighed softly. "Carolyn, he'll be fine," she murmured, pulling the other woman into a hug. Carolyn buried her face in Alex's shoulder and finally let go, crying all of her worries, fears and anxieties into her shirt.

Behind the two women, Bobby shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat, then reached over and uncertainly patted Carolyn's shoulder. "He'll uh... he'll- He's strong, Barek. He'll make it," he finally managed, and Carolyn nodded and wiped at her eyes. Deakins appeared a few minutes later and said, "Mike came through the surgery just fine, and they've got him in a private room. He's stable, and the doctor said it would be fine for you to go in there and sit with him."

Carolyn exhaled a breath of relief, then followed Deakins to Mike's room.

Bobby and Alex remained in the waiting room, and Alex smiled when he wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his large body. "Do you think they'll ever see it?" Alex asked sarcastically, and Bobby chuckled.

"I don't know. Look how long it took us," he teased, and she playfully smacked his shoulder.

Mike's eyes were closed and his chest was rising and falling steadily when Carolyn walked in, and she quickly walked up to his bed and sat down beside him. She didn't care that Deakins was behind her as she slipped her hand into Mike's, reveling in the warmth that radiated from it.

"Looks like he's in good hands," Deakins said softly. "I'll leave you two alone." And before Carolyn could say anything, he walked out of the room, leaving her alone with her sleeping partner.

She settled back into the chair, keeping her grip on Mike's hand as she tried to find a comfortable position to fall asleep in, since she knew that she wouldn't be going home that night.

For some odd reason, she slept decidedly well, awaking only when she sensed Mike stir or heard him moan. The sun was peeking through the blinds, and she sat upright and stretched her tired muscles. He still hadn't regained consciousness, but as long as he was breathing and she could feel his pulse beneath her fingertips, she was fine with waiting.

An hour later, his heart rate changed, and Carolyn quickly pressed the call button for a nurse. A minute later, a bubbly and cherub faced nurse appeared and smiled at Carolyn. "What do you need, hon?" she asked pleasantly, and Carolyn squeezed her partner's hand and said, "His heart rate just changed... Is something wrong?"

The nurse began checking Mike's vitals, and Carolyn held her breath until she finally said, "No cause for concern, honey. He'll be waking up soon."

Carolyn thanked the nurse, then leaned forward and watched Mike expectantly for signs that he was finally waking up.

Later that afternoon, Carolyn awoke from a light catnap by something squeezing her hand, and she smiled and brushed her free hand over Mike's forehead. "Mike, wake up. You've got a lot of paperwork to do," she teased softly, tracing his brow with her thumb. "Come on, Logan, you lazy dog."

He groaned softly and shifted his hips, and she carefully perched herself beside him on the bed as his hand tightened around hers. Slowly his eyelids fluttered, and she reached over and rubbed circles on his chest, murmuring, "That's it, Mike. Just open your eyes and look at me." Finally his eyes flickered open, revealing soft brown irises, and she breathed a sigh of relief and smiled tenderly at him.

He looked around the room in confusion, and she grasped his hand, delighted when he squeezed her hand back. He struggled to sit up, but she pressed her hand gently against his chest and said, "Whoa, Mike. Take it easy. You were shot last night. You need to relax."

He sank back against the pillows reluctantly, and she reached over and grabbed a glass, then filled it with cool water. "Here," she said, handing him the glass. "Drink this."

He lifted the glass to his lips, and after emptying half of the glass, handed it back to Carolyn. His eyes scanned her body, and he whispered hoarsely, "Blood... hurt?"

She looked at her clothes, then back at Mike again and said swiftly, ⌠No, Mike. I'm not hurt. This is... it's your blood." His body relaxed in obvious relief, and she took a chance and reached out to him, slipping her hand into his. He looked at her questioningly, and she blushed, pulling her hand away. But before she could, he grabbed it and turned her hand in his so that their palms were touching.

The gesture was so small, but it shook Carolyn to her core, and she felt a tear slide down her cheek. Mike looked at her questioningly, and she smiled and wiped the tear away. Then, without warning, she dove forward and pulled him into her arms, careful to avoid his injury. He was surprised, but welcomed the rare physical contact that his partner was so graciously offering. She felt so warm and soft, and for some strange reason, safe. He had always imagined what it would be like to be in her arms, and to just let the world fade away. Now he knew.

She could feel his every breath as his chest rose and fell against hers, and she closed her eyes and allowed her fingers to skim lightly over his back. She was amazed at how perfectly he seemed to fit in her arms, as though they were made for holding him, for protecting him, for lov- Loving him? As she sat on the bed, holding Mike in her arms, nothing had ever felt more right or more perfect. And in that moment, she realized that if he had died that night, she would've never been able to tell him just how she felt, and she couldn▓t have lived with that. So she reluctantly pulled away from him, and her eyes met his.

"Mike," she murmured, unconsciously tracing his jaw with her thumb. He gently covered her hand with his against his cheek and shut his eyes, and she smiled and, with some hesitance, moved to briefly brush her lips against his forehead. But at the last second, he tilted his head upwards, and her lips fell on his. Neither moved from the intimate contact, and Carolyn's hand took on a mind of it's own, traveling up into Mike's soft hair and burying itself there.

He deepened the kiss, and she gladly accepted as she repositioned herself so that she was closer to him and her other hand was resting on his side. She broke the kiss a few seconds later, but her hand traveled to his cheek and remained there as she kissed his forehead and said, "Sleep, Mike. I'll be here when you wake up."

He reluctantly returned his head to the pillow, and when Carolyn tried to move, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She favored him with a small, warm smile, then squeezed his hand back and said, "Don't worry, Mike. I'm not going anywhere." She looked into his eyes, and they reflected worry and┘ fear? Was Mike Logan, one of the most feared detectives in New York, actually afraid of her leaving? Her hand continued to absently stroke his cheek, and she could see that he was fighting sleep, and refusing to give in.

She looked around the room and made sure that the door was closed. Then she laid down on her side, resting her head on Mike's pillow, right beside his. As he realized what she was doing, a smile appeared on his face, and she laughed. "No wonder no woman's ever been able to say no to you, Logan," she teased, and he chuckled softly and relaxed beside her, stretching his lanky body as he closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

Carolyn watched him slip back into sleep, and she didn't move from his side for the rest of the day and night. And within the week, he was situated in her apartment, grumbling about his ribs and devouring all of the attention she so willingly lavished on him.

During the nights that he was there, when she wasn't holding him after a particularly bad nightmare about the shooting, she would watch him sleep in her bed. And if she was feeling particularly upset or just needing to hold something, she would climb into bed with him and gather him into her arms, just like when he was in the hospital.

They never spoke about it once he was well enough to return to his own apartment, but a month or two later, there was a knock at her door around midnight. And just as she predicted (or hoped) he was there, and she gladly led him inside, happy for another night to be in his arms.

The End...

A/N: Okay, I hope that wasn't too cheesy for ya'll... now, please review? I'll do what Puss 'N Boots does (eyes get all big and round, single tear falls down cheek)


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